Origin Story
Why Cypress tree and roots to define a company?
Cypress trees grow in unlikely places with their roots in the muck.
What is muck you ask? Literally, muck is mud, lack of nutrients, clay, and generally bad soil. Culturally muck includes cultural labels, dogmas, environmental raping of the earth that we as humans have created and is currently unknown if we can reverse, stereotypes, lack of equal rights or opportunity, and bias. For me personally, the muck includes generations of family grief and un-metabolized pain, hurt, struggles and dis-ease, not understanding my identity, not feeling I belong, and never believing I am enough. In business I have observed the muck as ambiguity in roles, unknowns for goals, “do more” with no direction, broken cultures, lack of support, lack of leadership, loss of self, and no boundaries for personal time.
While this list feels initially heavy, the muck is NOT bad!! It is not in spite of, but because of the muck that is at the deep root pushing each of us to grow. Growth through muck created who we are now and who we are to become. It is the sum of all your days and who you are is ever-changing with the seasons and cycles of life.
The idea that Cypress is composting what is a mess, that which has a lack of nutrients, and is still able to create something of beauty is the foundation of this company.
The cypress tree is a symbol of all that is wild and holy in this world. It is weeping for what has created it and singing as it shines in the moonlight. The tree contains all the natural elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Space, heavy, light, sharp, dull, cold, hot, oily, dry, smooth, rough, liquid, solid, soft, hard, static, mobile, subtle, gross, cloudy and clear. The descriptions from the oldest science on earth, Ayurveda, can describe everything. These elements can help identify what is or isn’t working and what can help change your wellness trajectory.
ROOTS
Inside the roots is a foundation- the earth provides a sense of contentment and is sometimes the only support in a world of chaos. If you have enough depth in what you are doing, you have roots. Perhaps even doing the work for something beyond yourself. The root of when we are true to the core of whom we are as humans, instead of the learned unconscious expressions of our personal biography, frees a spirit within us. We are the sum of all our days, every person we have interacted with, and everything we have seen. We cannot be here without the whole history of the Universe.
Many of us operate and do tasks well. But we don’t always know why. Having a root is knowing your why. Doing something beyond the profit, for the community, for the industry, for those who come after you. This is the foundation of your being. This why is the motivation for you and the guiding beacon that is there to gut-check your decisions when you are unsure what is next.
DIRECTION
The transition from the ground to the base of the tree represents the four corners of the earth, the four corners of the feet, the four corners of the pelvic floor, and four streams that come out of the mountain in directions of the compass rose. A place of opposites, a place where things are both true and not true at the same time. How do you know which direction to go?
The tree is lit by moonlight. A light in the dark. The moon refreshes what the sun has burned away. The moon offers healing and recalibration. Not allowing the ghosts of our ancestors to scare us, but recognizing that they themselves are simply hurting. Healing does not mean fixed. Freedom in this place is not attached to the outcome. Allowance, awareness, and rest. Hitting the reset button.
It is easy to have too much to do and too little time to do it. Be burnt out by our to-do lists. And do not ever take the time to hit the reset button. Having a direction and a light leading your way can help you understand what to do next, what can wait, and what doesn’t fit. It can help to feel supported. To show up at our best with tools to help lead the way.
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Plants are willing allies. They are always there with their unique personality, our deepest ancestors, just waiting for us to pay attention to accept their support.
BRANCHES
With each season, a tree grows new branches. Some branches fall away, some continue to grow throughout the entire life of the tree. Branches sway in the wind, leaves rustle, providing a canopy of shade for the ground below, feeding the tree by drinking the sunlight and withstanding weather through nimble design. The branches both nourish the tree and are the product of growth. They grow up, they grow out, they produce flowers, they produce seeds, and when they drop their leaves with the turn of fall, they teach to let go of what is not serving us. Sometimes it's time for a branch to fall off the tree entirely.
What branches are you growing in your life?
Originally from Tennessee, having spent a season based out of Salt Lake City, I have now landed in Nucla, CO. I earned my degree in Outdoor Recreation with an emphasis in Tourism and have worked a more different career in the climbing industry. I have also been an educator, facilitator, and guide in the Southeast and West. What these roles have in common are teaching, and learning to share. And yet somehow, all of that felt different than the world I pursued that made me feel alive in the world of yoga, embodiment, herbals, mythology, magic, and intuition. After six years of herbal school and personal study from then till now, I am starting to learn to trust my inner voice and begin sharing this herbal magic with you through Cypress Roots Craft Herbalism.
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The journey of learning continues, and each day is a gift.